Treasury of Jain Tales

SR No.: 006762
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 468
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 69

4. UDAYANA
Udāyana was the king of the whole region of Sindhu and Sovira and his capital city was Vitabhaya. He was accepted as the sovereign lord by ten of the crowned kings in the same region. Mahasena was one of them. On all the ten kings special honours of white chowries and fans were bestowed. Udayana's queen was Prabhāvati and their only son was called Abhijit. Udāyana's sister's son who grew up with Abhijit was Kesi, by name.
in the town of Campā there lived a goldsmith. Kumāranandin by name, who was known to be a great womanizer. He had five hundred women whom he had bought by paying five hundred gold pieces each. Being of a jealous disposition, he took care to keep them aloof from the rest of the world; he built for them a palatial building resting on one pillar. He spent most of his time here with them, much to the displeasure of his friend Nagila, who was a Jain lay disciple.
One day it so happened that two Vānavyantara goddesses, Hasa and Prahasa who were on their way to the island of Nandi svara, a well known place of pilgrimage, saw Kumāranandin. The husband of the two goddesses, Vidyutmålin who was the ruler of Pañcasaila, had just fallen from that position and entered lower form of existence, leaving Häsa and Prahasa in the state of grass widows. They were advised by other gods to undertake the pilgrimage to Nandiśvara. As they were going there they were also wondering which of the men they saw below from the sky above they should seduce. At that stage they saw Kumaranandin who was easy to seduce. They came down to the earth and spoke to him and seeing encouraging signs of infatuation in him suggested that